Pennsylvania

Caution on the generic ballot, Palin's presidential plans, Obamacare drags down the Dems, and more...

Welcome. This is a regular feature I'll be offering every weekday, first thing in the morning. Basically, what I'll do is flag the most notable stories of the 2010 midterm campaign, and provide my two cents on what's really happening.

Too sexy for his track suit.

Ed Rendell has been dogged for months by rumors of a possible romantic relationship with a 40-year-old aide. A Philadelphia magazine reports on the rumors in an issue hitting newsstands Friday, but apparently finds no one who will go on the record, and no real concrete evidence.

In other words, if the subject were a Republican running for president, you'd call this piece New York Times quality.

Yesterday's election doesn't bode well for the current power holders in Washington.

Conventional wisdom is settling. Tuesday night was a bad night for the establishment, a bad night for Republicans, and a relatively good night for Democrats. The results, we are told, should make strategists and political analysts reevaluate the growing sense that Republicans are poised to do very well in November. White House political adviser David Axelrod is calling it a "good night" for Democrats.

As Pennsylvania 12 goes . . .

Barack Obama beat John McCain in Pennsylvania by 11 points (55% to 44%) in 2008. A new poll by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling shows Obama's approval rating in the Keystone state at 46%, with 50% of voters disapproving.

Only 42% of voters say they support "President Obama’s health care plan," and 49% oppose it.

Misogyny.

In case you missed it, be sure to listen to this radio clip from a local Pennsylvania show, in which Senator Arlen Specter gets testy with Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann. Specter accuses Bachmann of interrupting him and says “I am going to treat you like a lady, so act like one.”